Enhanced Pupil Support Assistant - 2 Posts, Connections, Community Wing - Perth Grammar School - ... in Brechin

Main Purpose of the Role

Working within Perth & Kinross Council is more than a job, it's about being part of an organisation that puts people at the heart of all we do and provides opportunities to make a real difference by enhancing every life we touch.

We currently have the following opportunity:

Enhanced Pupil Support Assistant - 2 Posts (Fixed Term until 1 July 2027) - PKC13907 £11,308 - £12,303 (16.5 Hours per week, Term-time only) Connections, Community Wing - Perth Grammar School

Connections Intensive Support Service Values and Aims

We are looking for 2 dedicated and enthusiastic pupil support assistants to join our dynamic and dedicated team in our Intensive Support Service for 3 days a week. This is a unique opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of children with significant social, emotional and behavioural needs.

Connections is a standalone small, offsite intensive support service for children with social, emotional and behavioural needs (SEBN) based in the Community Wing of Perth Grammar.

At Connections, we believe that the following values form the bedrock of our approach:

• Creating trust
• Building belief
• Nurturing growth

These values provide the framework for every relationship and interaction within our organisation, enabling us to develop the most effective approaches, in our aim to change the story for every child.

We do this through working in partnership with:

• The children's families.
• Staff in their primary schools.
• Support services, e.g. educational psychology, allied health services.

Our service aims to provide two levels of support:

• The first is a shared educational placement for up to ten pupils where the children attend Connections for two or three days as well as accessing their school on the other days of the week. When the children attend their mainstream school, our team operates an outreach service where Connections staff collaborate with school staff to share and develop what supports each child to develop and progress.
• The second type of support is an outreach service to support a small number of children on an outreach basis only.

This role brings opportunities for personal and professional growth.

The Role

• Provide one to one support for children.
• Support children in developing social skills and friendships through small group activities.
• Support children to engage in therapeutic activities.
• Undertake activities such as baking, cooking, art and crafts.
• Work closely with teachers and other specialist staff.
• Communicate regularly with staff on pupil wellbeing, achievements and progress.
• Support the teachers in creating a safe, structured and nurturing learning environment.
• Prepare and gather own resources for activities planned for the children.
• Help set up and tidy away resources, equipment and learning spaces.
• Support in implementing the individual education plans (IEPs).
• Support children on outdoor education and local community outings.
• Support children with self-care and daily routines such as transitions and organising belongings.
• Model and encourage the use of strategies, problem solving and restorative approaches.
• Support children at break times.
• Keep records of behaviour incidents and triggers for staff discussion.

Please note, we are currently unable to offer sponsorship for this post.

Skills & Experience Required

We are looking for motivated and skilled pupil support assistants who will ideally have current experience in supporting children whose complex social and emotional needs are a barrier to their engagement in learning. Applicants should have:

• A warm and nurturing approach with children.
• Experience of working with primary aged children in school.
• Some understanding of how early childhood trauma can impact on a child’s development.
• The ability to form positive relationships with children who are hard to reach and disengaged with learning.
• A child-centred approach.
• The skills to establish firm boundaries without being rigid.
• Some understanding of the importance of play for children of all ages.
• The ability to self-regulate during times when children present with distressed and dysregulated behaviour.
• Some understanding of restorative approaches to problems arising and the ability to model these for the children.
• The ability to work as part of a small team but also have the confidence to work on their own.
• A desire to learn and further develop their knowledge and skills.

Working at Perth & Kinross Council

Our values and behaviours influence our work and support us in the delivery of our key priorities. In your application, and should you be invited to interview, you will be asked to describe situations that support the criteria required in the role and which also demonstrate our values and behaviours.

Here's what we can offer you:

• A generous annual leave package.
• 6 days public holiday and an additional discretionary day.
• Eligibility to join our pension scheme.
• Family friendly and positive work/life balance policies such as Flexible Working, Maternity, Paternity & Adoption leave, time off for volunteering and our Wellbeing Framework.
• Access to a range of benefits.

A healthy work-life balance is important to us and we provide supportive management and, where possible, flexible working arrangements to help you achieve that balance. You will have access to training and support for continued professional development.

All new employees have a four-month probationary period. Further details are available in the FAQs at “How to apply for a job or apprenticeship with us”.

Next Steps

We would love to hear from you and would encourage you to get in touch with Carolin McBride at CarolinMcBride@pkc.gov.uk to find out more.

External candidates are required to provide contact details for 2 referees, including email addresses. One of these must be your current or most recent employer.

Internal applicants applying for secondment must obtain line manager approval through the secondment form available under My Forms – Secondment Request Form on MyView. Please note that secondment requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.

We welcome applications from everyone and as a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to interview applicants who declare a disability and meet the essential requirements of the post. Please contact the hiring manager above or the Recruitment Team on (01738) 475555 or recruitment@pkc.gov.uk to discuss any reasonable adjustments.

Diversity is important to us and although some of our jobs may be perceived to be traditionally gender specific, we welcome applications from everyone and would encourage you to apply if you meet the job requirements.

Working with children and/or protected adults is regarded as a regulated role and under the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 you will be required to join the PVG Scheme or undergo a PVG Scheme update check.

If you have lived overseas for a period of 12 months or more (continuous or total) within the last 10 years, an Overseas Criminal Record Check will be required. You will be required to provide this check.

A confirmed offer of employment and commencement in the post will be subject to the outcome of the above mentioned mandatory pre-employment checks (including references) and will also include eligibility to work in the UK, qualifications and fitness to undertake the post.